By ELIAS MAKORI in Dubai
“Hit Squad” cruiserweight boxer Chrispine Ochanda’s sports career started off in handball, the Ramba Boys High School of Siaya County alumnus only taking up boxing while in college at Nairobi’s Survey of Kenya.
Elsewhere, Wiseman Kavondo’s sporting journey has been a fairytale, the welterweight fighter taken under the wings of Kenyan boxing legend Kenneth “Valdez” Ochieng while featherweight Paul Omondi took up the sport after getting tired of being bullied in Kibra.
The trio have made a mark, in contrasting styles, at the IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships here, Ochanda and Kavondo eliminated in the round of 32 on Friday with Omondi outpointing his Libyan opponent Ahmed Alkoum on Sunday night to cruise into the Round of 16.
Ochanda lost to Andrei Chiriakov of Moldova while Kavondo was eliminated by Armenian Hovhannes Bachkov but both “Hit Squad” fighters drew a lot of positives from their bouts.
Ochanda, a fitness instructor and personal trainer in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, has to balance between the ring and his hustles in the gym, and will leave Dubai grateful for the experience with a promise to spend more ring time.
“I’ll have to balance between training time and work so that I can be somewhere, because work is important as that’s where I eke out my living,” he told me after his elimination by Moldovan Chiriakov.
“I didn’t underrate my opponent tonight… I came to box and I stuck to the plan, but they say only when you receive a punch is when you can execute ‘Plan B.’ For sure this time he was smarter than me and he could counter me faster that I could. I have learnt something I can use to fight better at the next championship.”
Being his first time at a World Championship, Ochanda takes home many positives.
“It’s a good experience. I was looking to meet the best in the world, and I’ve just started the journey. In the near future, I will do my best. At least I have made one step ahead of those who didn’t make it to these championships. I’ve learnt a lot now that I’ve had an opportunity to represent my country. From this one game, I have learnt a lot from the boxers here as much as those at home.”
Meanwhile, Kavondo conceded that he had lost to a better fighter, Armenia’s Hovhannes Bachkov in the 67kg (welterweight) class, but promised to medal for Kenya at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I fought well but made many mistakes… My opponent was better, more experienced but God-willing next time it will be mine,” Kavondo reacted emotionally, fighting back tears of disappointment.
“I thank God for this opportunity… sometimes you have to lose to learn from these defeats. I thank the coaches. God-willing next time it will be mine.
“Training was good, I trained well and the coaches supported us – within time I will catch up and the coaches will improve me – what I know is that I will win an Olympic Gold medal – keep this in mind – I will bring the Olympic gold,” he assured, aiming to become the first Kenyan since Robert Wangila in Seoul 1988 to bag an Olympic boxing gold.
“I don’t have the experience that Bachkov has, but he also went through losses to get to where he is. I won’t give up just because I lost… I have come from very far – I’m a Kayole boy, a protégé of coach Kenneth Valdez whom I thank for helping and training me through the novices and now to the national team and Kenya Police.”
Kavondo’s story is one of struggles from the bottom to get him onto the global stage.
“I used to hustle by carrying water on a mkokoteni (hand cart) and I also worked at Supa Loaf as a casual on Kangudo Road – I have a certificate in wiring and installation,” narrated Kavondo, an alumnus of St Paul’s Boys and Ezesha Plus High School, the latter a day school he joined after failing to raise enough boarding fees at St Paul’s.
“I will focus on boxing and bring the medals. I won’t give up., This is a test from God and I know I will bring medals. With God, nothing is impossible.”
On Sunday, featherweight Omondi was dominant against the Libyan, cheered on by a partisan Kenyan crowd that included students on tour from Nairobi’s Light Academy Primary School who mobbed the “Hit Squad” star after the bout, celebrating his victory.
“I’m grateful to God because this is the first time I’m at a World Championship and my aim was to come here and put up a good show – I didn’t want to come all the way from Kenya to fail,” Omondi reacted.
“Although I didn’t have a lot of knowledge about my opponent, I listened to my corner men who asked me to pile up more pressure… I used a lot of power in the first and second round and the third was about controlling the fight.”
The soft-spoken Omondi started boxing training in 2017 in Kibra, mainly for self defence: “I wasn’t encouraged by anyone and what forced me into boxing is the fact that I was bullied a lot because of my small size and humility. I said I needed to box to defend myself.
“Initially, my mother didn’t like the idea of boxing at all as she felt boxing would make one go mad. But slowly, as I kept competing in the national league where I would earn something small, she started appreciating that what she was discouraging me from was actually earning me a living.
“My dream was to win at the World Championships and here in Dubai, my dream has come true!”
Omondi fights in Ring ‘A’ in the second session from 9pm local time (8pm Kenyan time) on Tuesday against Mozambique’s Armando Rugoberto Sigauque who defeated Aussie Ahmad Serat Jamal in a split points decision on Sunday.
Hit squad captain Boniface Mogunde was another casualty, falling 1-4 to Azerbaijan’s Sarkhan Aliyev with Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Abalkhail the only one of the five judges to rule in favour of Mogunde, as Caleb Wandera also lost to Lucas Mariano Villalba (Argentina) in the light welterweight.
“I didn’t have the right tactics to counter him but we learn new tricks and tactics at exposure of this level,” Wandera reacted.
“His ring craft was certainly better than me… going back home I will have to improve on handling such a highly mobile boxer.”
Mogunde conceded defeat, but wasn’t too happy with the judging: “It was a good game. We came in with a strategy to keep him close and leaving him far wasn’t working. I felt I took round one 3-2 and I scored well in Round Two and fought even better in Round Three…
“I don’t know what to say but the judges weren’t fair… but in the end he was declared the winner…. I later met Sarkhan and congratulated him, and he told me I’m a strong fighter. All is well and I thank God for this experience.”
Kenya’s Round of 16 pairings on Monday (December 8):
Light heavyweight, 75-80kgs:
- Robert Okaka vs Youssef Rafrafi (Tunisia) – (Round of 16; 17:00hrs);
Lightweight, 57-60kgs:
- Washington Wandera Wabwire vs Matvejs Prokudins (Latvia) – (Round of 16; 21:00hrs);
Kenya’s Round of 16 pairings on Tuesday (December 9):
Featherweight, 54-57kgs: Paul Omondi Onguku vs Armando Rugoberto Sigauque (Mozambique) – (Round of 16, Tuesday 21:00hrs)
‘Hit Squad’ casualties so far:
- Minimumweight, 46-48kgs: Sylus Onyango lost to Danil Hasika Tissaaratchy (Sri Lanka);
- Flyweight, 48-51kgs: Kelvin Maina Michira lost to Daniyal Sabit (Kazakhstan);
- Bantamweight, 51-54kgs: Shaffi Bakari lost to Rafael Lozano Serrano (Spain);
- Welterweight, 63.5-67kgs: Wiseman Kavondo lost to Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia);
- Middleweight, 71-75kgs: Edwin Okongo lost to Kapuler Ishchenko Miroslav (Israel);
- Cruiserweight, 80-86kg: Chrispine Ochanda lost to Andrei Chiriakov (Moldova);
- Heavyweight, 86-92kg: Peter Abuti lost to Bakyt Ululu Toktosun (Kyrgyzstan);
- Super heavyweight, 92kgs plus: Clinton Macharia lost to Smiahlikau Uladzislau (Belarus)
- Light welter, 60-63.5kgs: Caleb Wandera lost to Lucas Mariano Villalba (Argentina);
- Light Middleweight, 67-71kgs: Boniface Mogunde lost to Sarkan Aliyev (Azerbaijan).
Elias Makori, the founder and Managing Editor of Pura Vida Sports Africa, is a veteran sports journalist with over 30 years’ experience. Makori is a holder of a Masters in Sports Management degree from Barcelona’s Cruyff Institute and is also the 2012 World Athletics Journalist of the Year, three-time Kenya Sports Journalist of the Year and twice Africa Sports Media Personality of the Year.
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